Buckle.



J. STANLEY. BUCKLE. APPLICATION FILED D110. 3, 190a.

Patented Jan. 18,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Jib/W Tl'arqasfianla.

J. STANLEY. BUCKLE. APPLICATION FILED DBO. a, 1908.

946,884. Patented Jan. 18,1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR'.

UTED STA ATENT FFICE,

JAMES STANLEY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BUCKLE.

f0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES STANLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in buckles; and, the invention has reference, more particularly, to a buckle provided with a novel form of buckletongue comprising at least two articulating members or elements which permit thebuckle-tongue to buckle upon itself at a suitable point between its free end and the pivotal point of connection with the main frame or body of the buckle, so that the holding member of the tongue can be readily withdrawn from its holding engagement with a leather-strap and the loop-shaped member of the main frame of the buckle.

This invention has for its principal objects to provide a novel and simply constructed buckle for use more particularly with the heavy and stiff straps of harness, providing the buckle with a buckle-tongue consisting of at least a pair of jointed tongue-members which can be used for se curing the end-portion of a strap to the main frame or body of the buckle, but which are connected in a pivotal or oscillatory manner, so that the ointed tongue-members can be buckled or doubled upon themselves, so as to withdraw the strap-engaging tongue-member from its holding engage ment with the strap and loop-portion of the buckle-frame.

The invention has for its further object to provide a buckle and jointed buckle-tongue therefor having a lifting loop or fingerpiece for withdrawing the strap-engaging tonguemember from its holding engagement with the strap and loop-portion of the buckleframe.

Other objects of my present invention not at this time more particularly mentioned will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention consists, primarily, in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 3, 1908.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910. Serial No. 465,759.

novel buckle and a jointed buckle-tongue therefor, all of the general character hereinafter set forth; and, the invention consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well, as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the clauses of the claims which are appended to and which form an essential part of this specification.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top or plan view of one form of buckle provided with a jointed buckletongue made according to the principles of this invention, and showing in connection therewith and secured to the frame of the buckle, by means of the jointed buckletongue, an end-portion of a strap; Fig. 2 is a side-view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the parts represented in said Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar vertical section, but illustrating the jointed buckle-tongue being withdrawn from its holding engagement with the strap and loop-portion of the buckle-fra1ne; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, said section being taken on line in said Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow as in said figure.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the said above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said figures of the drawings, the reference-character 1 indicates in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, a tug-buckle, showing one embodiment of my present invention, the same comprising a ring-shaped metal member or element 2, for the arrangement therein of the usual wagon-shaft, said ringshaped member being usually provided with a loop-shaped member 3, for the attachment thereto of the belly band or strap of the harness. The said loop-shaped member or element 2 is also provided with perforated ears or lugs 4-, formed with an open space 5 between them, and arranged in said perforated ears or lugs and extending across said open space 5 is a pin or rod 6, the opposite end-portions of said pin extending on opposite sides beyond the outer faces of said ears or lugs, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings, and all arranged so that the said ring-shapedmember or element 2 can oscillate freely upon said pin or rod ('3. Suitably secured upon the free end-portions of said pin or rod 6 is abuckleframe or main body, the same comprising angularly disposed side-members 7 provided with holes or perforations, as S, into and through. which the respective end-portions of the pin or rod 6 project and are preferably provided with suitably formed retaining heads 5), substantially as illustrated. At their upper edge-portions the said side-members T are usually connected by means of a laterally extending plate 10 which forms a suitable guard and has its edge-portion 11 projecting partially over the said ring-shaped member or element 2, substantially in the manner illustrated. Each side-piece or member '7, at its lower portion, is provided with a forwardly extending sidepiece or element 12, said elements being connected by a loopshaped or other suitably shaped buckle-tongue engaging portion or member 18.

The jointed buckle-tongue consists, essentially, of a tongue-member or link 1%. formed with a perforated end or eye 15 which is arranged in the open space 5 formed between the perforated ears or lugs l and is pivotally arranged upon that portion of the pin or rod 6 which extends across the said open space. it its opposite end, the said tonguemember or link 14: is made with a. bifurcated or forked portion, 16, said forked portion being provided with laterally extending and preferably tubularly formed supporting fingers or bars 17, the free end-portions of which are slidably disposed upon said previously mentioned side-pieces or elements 12, and extend slightly beyond the said side pieces or elements 12, substantially as shown.

The reference-character 18 indicates a suitably formed lifting means or finger-piece, usually made of a piece of stiff wire which is bent so as to provide suitable side-portions 19, and the inwardly extending pivotmembers 20, each member extending into the tubular supporting finger or bar 17, with the free ends of said members 20 terminating in close proximity to each other in an open space 21 formed by the bifurcated or forked portion 16, and as clearly indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Pivotally connected with the said free endportions of the said members, and arranged in the open space 21, is an eyeor loopshaped end-portion of a second tonguemember 22, the said member 2 under normal conditions having .its free end 24 extending into and through a hole or perforation 26 of a tug or other strap and resting directly upon the upper surface of the previously mentioned buckle-tongue engaging portion or member 13, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings. lVhen thus arranged, the strap 25 is positively con nected with the buckle, and can not become accidentally disconnected, as will be clearly evident from an inspection of said figures of the drawings.

It is a well-known fact, that it is a very ditlicult matter to disconnect the very heavy, thick and very stifi? leather end-portions of the straps of harness from the holding tongue-of a buckle, and this is especially so when with use and time the leather becomes more or less hardened and rigid. present form of buckle, provided with a jointed buckletongue, this is not the case, and by means of apull upon the lifting means or fingerpiece 18, the jointed members of the buckle-tongue are readily brought into the positions indicated in Fig. 4L of the drawings, whereby the free end-portion of the tongue-member 22 is first withdrawn from the upper surface of the buckle-tongue engaging portion or member 13, and finally from its holding engagement with the perforated end-portion of the strap, as will be clearly understood from an inspection of said Fig. at, so that the end-portion of the strap can be freely and readily withdrawn from the buckle.

I claim:

1. ii buckle comprising a buckle-frame pro vided with a pin, a link pivotally connected with said pin, said link having a bifurcated end-portion, and said link being provided with laterally extending lingers adapted to rest upon said buckle-frame, a pivot-pin connected with said lingers and extending across the bifurcated end-portion of said link, a tongue-member pivoted upon said pin, and a linger-piece connected with said pivot-pin, for raising the pivotally connected portions of said link and said tonguemeniber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

A. buckle comprising a ringshaped ele ment, a buckle-frame connected therewith, a guard connected with said frame, a later ally extending pin, a link pivot-ally connected with said pin. said link having a bifurcated end-portion, and said link being provided with laterally extending lingers adapted to rest upon said buckle-frame, a ivot-pin connected with said fingers and extending across the bifurcated end-portion of said link, a. tonguemember pivoted upon said pin, and a linger-piece connected with said pivot-pin, for raising the pivotally connected portions of said link and said tonguemeniber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this first day of December, 1908.

JAMES STANLEY.

Witnesses FBEDK. C. FRAENTZEL, FREDK. H. FRAENTZEL.

In the 

